Dragon in the North

I gave it a seven. It was a really good episode, but not a lot of stand out moments. My highlights: 1. Everything about Jon. Kit Harington has proven to be a great actor 2. Arya's training. 3. The Tower of Joy. The fight choreography was amazing. My grievances: 1. Winterfell. I felt like Umber's motivation was weak, though I am excited to have Art Parkinson back. 2. Surprisingly, Tyrion. He was a little pointless this episode and his scene with Missandei and Grey Worm was odd.

Yes, that was the second bad cock joke in a row. Hopefully, now that Tyrion realizes there's a whole army of eunuchs around him, the jokes will stop.

People have different opinions. You don't have to agree with them, but you should respect them.

Gave it a 9. Great episode!

I gave it an 8, as my only complaint was Dorne. I don't understand why they would kill off the two most interesting characters in that storyline. Hell, I'll even take Trystane over the Sand Snakes and was actually rooting for him to win. I never had a problem with Ellaria taking over for Arianne until now. If they were going to go with the coup plot, I could accept the Dornishmen rebelling against Doran for another Martell, not a bastard who has no legitimate claim to Dorne. That said, all the other storylines were solid and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. Off topic: Can people chill and allow other posters to vote however they like? It's not like the numbers on this forum are a representation of what the entire fandom thinks, it's just for fun.

Quality is subjective. Most people who hate the show judge it for its writing, but I judge it for everything, such as acting, set designs, visuals, choreography, and basically how it makes me feel. I like the show, you don't, and I respect that. But there is no way either of us could prove the other wrong. It's just our opinion.

I agree that Jaime should have started to see Cersei for who she is by now. I though they began to scratch the surface after Jaime said, "I would die in the arms of the woman I loved," and Bronn replied, "Would she want the same thing?" But they didn't bring the subject up again. As for the letter, Jaime is supposed to be on a top secret mission to Dorne, so there would be no way for Cersei to send a raven to him.

It's also a timing issue. The showrunners said that they work year round and only have time to produce ten episodes.

He knows exactly where Sansa is, though. Bran could be anywhere North of the Wall. He wouldn't know where to start.

You're welcome.

^https://twitter.com/MigSapochnik/status/606566838328123392

They've had them since at least season 2.

I assume you're speaking of Stannis and Littlefinger. Stannis may have been speaking metaphorically. After all, plunging a dagger into a heart also means an act of betrayal. Littlefinger could have heard it from a number of sources, including Roose Bolton himself.

The wildlings have been fighting against the wights and White Walkers longer than Jon Snow had. Osha, a wildling, knew to use fire to burn down her hut with her wight husband inside. And wildlings such as Ygritte and Rattleshirt have been saying to burn the bodies.

Yes, I've read stories that introduced new characters in its late stages, but I've never read a story like AFFC that puts the main characters on the back burner and make the new characters the center of the book.

Stoneheart's very existence is the exact opposite of hope.

I gave it a 9. Braavos: I loved all the Arya scenes and thought they were the best parts of the episode. I enjoyed the Game of Faces and that Arya likes the Hound, even though she won't admit it. I also thought the scene with the dying girl to be extremely impactful. Arya is learning that death is a gift and not just an instrument of revenge. The set design for the Hall of Faces was amazing! Jorah and Tyrion: I liked how they fixed one of the problems of ADWD and had Tyrion mention Jorah's father. Tyrion's interaction with the slavers is probably the most I liked him this season. He reminded me of the old Tyrion again. King's Landing: Littlefinger's plan is genius and makes complete sense now. He's sowing the seeds of dissent and are waiting for his enemies to wipe each other out before he swoops in and takes his prize. I found the trial to be interesting. Show Cersei is much more capable than Book Cersei, who is completely crazy at this point. So far I like the change and can't wait to see how all her schemes blow up in her face. Dorne: This was the one misstep for me. The Sand Snake fight was my least favorite fight scene in the entire series, but it didn't ruin the entire episode, imo. I think one of the mistakes made was giving the Snakes unconventional weapons, which made the fighting a little clunky. I didn't like Dorne in the books either so my expectations were extremely low. On the plus side, though, I think people can stop calling it Porne, due to the significant lack of nudity. Winterfell: I disagree with those saying that the Sansa rape was only for shock value. I'm sure there is going to be a purpose. I still consider Sansa to be a victim in the books because she is under the influence of a man who is responsible for her family's destruction and who is manipulating her at every turn to get what he wants. This will probably be the driving force that severs Sansa's allegiance to Littlefinger and Theon's allegiance to Ramsay. I also disagree with those who are saying that they should have kept closer to the books. If they had adapted the books scene, there still would have been controversy surrounding it, perhaps even more so, since it's 100x more graphic in the books.

Dany also had no proof that the masters had anything to do with the Sons of the Harpy but she fed one to her dragons anyway. That's the world they live in. If you're even suspected of treason, you're in danger of being executed.

The wildlings would want to hear the offer from Jon himself, not from a second party. This way, they could get a better read on what Jon is thinking and figure out for themselves whether Jon's offer is sincere or not.

It was a typo. I meant to say Daario. Daario and Grey Worm were there to arrest him, which is why Grey Worm kicked down the door and had his spear at the ready. He hid out of fear of being discovered. The Rant and Rave thread is 140 pages long, so I only skimmed the first couple of pages. From what I've seen, all they've said was that Barristan "Fucking" Selmy could never be killed by knife wielding peons. But, unfortunately, Barristan "Fucking" Selmy is not invincible and was heavily outnumbered. You do make some nice points about the Riverlands arc, though. We do see some of the aftermath of war in Arya and the Hound's storyline. We know Walder Frey basically rules the riverlands in all but name, and is allowing bandits and vagabonds to run loose. The smallfolk are suffering under his rule and the Iron Throne doeesn't care. We all see the riverlands burning in the last scene of episode 1 in season 4. Jaime's redemption was what I got most out of his arc, but it served a deeper purpose. I don't think the rest of the storyline has been cut, merely postponed. We will see justice for the Red Wedding in season 6, I believe, seeing as David Bradley said he would return as Walder Frey.

I don't know why you are so hung up on the man hiding inside a wall. He's hiding from Barristan and Grey Worm, who have come to escort him to his execution. And episode 4 shows that the Sons of the Harpy are highly organized who can pull off coordinated attacks across the city. The Unsullied and Barristan were outnumbered and ambushed. They didn't stand a chance in hell. This isn't Lord of the Rings where the main characters can kill a hundred enemies at once. This was realistic fight scene, whether you like it or not. And Barristan still managed to take down a dozen of the bastards before succumbing to his wounds. What's the point of the Riverlands journey then? Why did we have to see the Riverlords surrender? How does that advance the plot?

I comprehend the books just fine. Its just that I also understand the limitation of the tv medium and judge the show accordingly. You, apparently, do not understand those limitations and have taken it upon yourself to make immature remarks about how I'm stupid for enjoying what I consider to be good quality television. As for the Sons of the Harpy, yes, they are much bolder in the show, if the end of episode 4 is anything to judge by, and that makes them dangerous. However, anonymity is their greatest weapon, which is why the guy hid inside the wall with his mask and his daggers. To remain hidden.

Brienne's arc in the books involves her wandering aimlessly in the Riverlands hoping to run into Sansa by chance. In the show, she is hot on Sansa's trail and, whether by helping Sansa escape or via a confrontation with Stannis, she could change the very dynamic in the North. How does the Battle of Meereen make Dany's arc more interesting? It's being too drawn out and, spoiler alert, Dany is going to win. Obviously. By making the Sons of the Harpy a bigger threat in the show, they're adding agency to Dany's storyline without overly complicating things. I'm sure that the Sons of the Harpy will be dealt with by the end of the season or early next season, whereas the battle would have taken much longer. Sometimes, less is more. We already know how much the Riverlands has suffered via Arya's storyline, and sending us the same message over and over again doesn't really serve a purpose. Besides Jaime's redemption, the Riverlands arc is filler and doesn't serve the plot at all.

GRRM didn't exactly do the showrunners any favors when he was writing AFFC/ADWD. Those books are completely unadaptable for television, but D&D managed to work around those obstacles to make it fit for television. They cut travelogues (Tyrion), made Brienne's plot more relevant, are consolidating storylines rather than spreading them apart, cut a chunk of characters in order to concentrate on the already established characters fans fell in love with, making Dany's arc more interesting and transforming Stannis into a more sympathetic character. Also, I am probably one of the few who doesn't see Jaime in Dorne as a major deviation. I mean, the Riverland's plot in the books was never about the Riverlands. It was about Jaime's redemption and his desire to become a better person. Sending Jaime to Dorne places him in a more hostile environment than the docile Riverlands, raising the stakes in his storyline, while at the same time it distances him from Cersei, both physically and emotionally. I'm not saying season 5 is perfect (Sand Snakes), but it's a lot better than I thought it would be, given the source material. On an unrelated note, has anyone noticed the parallels in Jaime and Brienne's storylines? They're both trying to rescue princesses on opposite sides of the country. Just thought that was interesting.

I'm an optimist, not a show apologist. I'm not defending the scene, I'm entertaining the possibility that the showrunners are making good decisions with Sansa and Littlefinger's storyline and will do both characters the justice they deserve. If I'm wrong, I will admit it, but until then, we'll have to wait and see.